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Delhi is scurrying to meet its projects deadline so it can dazzle the world during the Commonwealth Games. But it's squashing many workers in the process.

A report submitted by the Delhi High Court-appointed inspection committee revealed gross human rights violation by the contractors responsible for finishing the projects on time.

The report by the four-member panel exposed how labourers at the various Games sites were forced to work long hours, probably for wages less than the minimum rates.

The committee found out that the workers' living quarters, provided by their contractors, were messy and unhygienic. Also, medical facilities and safety requirements were neglected by their employers.

The committee prepared its 116-page report after visiting the Commonwealth Games Village, the Akshardham complex, the construction site of a three-level grid separator at Gazipur, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi University, Siri Fort Sports Complex, R. K. Khanna Tennis Stadium and Games construction sites being supervised by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

The committee members said after talking to workers and contractors, it was difficult for them to confirm whether even minimum wages were being paid to the employees.

They also found that workers were paid overtime, given no weekly offs and not provided wage slips.

The committee stated that the contractors openly flouted health and safety norms at the construction sites.

Workers were not provided boots, gloves, helmets and other safety equipment, which are mandatory at large sites.

It said in the few instances where they found a worker or two using safety equipment, they found Rs 300 to Rs 800 were deducted from the labourer's wages.

Though safety officers were appointed at the construction sites of the DIAL and the DMRC, the panel members found that safety training was not imparted to the workers.

Living conditions of the labourers were appalling, the panel said. Four to five workers each were herded in tiny asbestos hutments. The rest lived in cramped three-tier dormitories with no ventilation and no proper toilets.

"Lack of overall hygiene, environmental sanitation and cleanliness was deplorable. The provisions of such sub- standard accommodation are bound to lower the productivity of the workers," the report stated.

The report added that the committee also noticed a " bias towards women" and the children who accompanied them to the construction sites.

There were also reports of accidents at almost every site but those could not be verified by the committee.

The committee in its report recommended that the Delhi High Court pass an order directing all employers to ensure that at least minimum wages are paid to the workers.

It also recommended that central and state government regulators take steps to ensure that safety measures are implemented properly by the contractors.

Unfair Games:

AN INSPECTION committee visited the Commonwealth Games Village, the construction site of a three- level grade separator at Gazipur, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the sites being supervised by the DMRC and DIAL. Some findings:

No wage slip, employment card or identity card issued to the workers

Women do not get the same wages as their male counterparts

Employers do not supply safety equipment to workers. Some hands claimed that those who did provide safety gear deducted Rs 800 from the workers' pay

Living conditions of the workers at the sites appalling

No first- aid centres at any of the sites.

A first- aid box was the best that the committee members could find

While contractors said the men worked for eight hours per day with a half- day off on Sunday, the committee found workers were made to toil for at least 12 hours without any weekly off

Conditions slightly better at DIAL and DMRC sites. Muster rolls maintained, living conditions and safety equipment as per the required norms. Wages also paid according to the notified rate.

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